All posts by n8rngtd.top

Derbyshire make off with points for draw after century stand between sixth-wicket pair

George Dobell11-Apr-2021A century stand from Matt Critchley and Harvey Hosein led Derbyshire to safety on the final day of their Championship match at Edgbaston. Resuming on the fourth morning with a lead of 39 and five wickets in hand, Critchley and Hosein added 113 in 36 overs to steer their side from danger.While Derbyshire had dug something of a hole for themselves with their aggressive batting on the third evening, Critchley and Hosein adopted a more sophisticated approach on the final day. Prepared to wait for scoring opportunities, they played admirably straight, shrugged off the times they were beaten – inevitable on these early-season surfaces – and put away the loose ball without fuss.Perhaps understandably in these horribly uncomfortable conditions – play started in sub-zero temperatures – Warwickshire’s seamers lacked the required consistency to build pressure. For although ball continued to beat bat fairly regularly, there were also a number of release deliveries that helped Derbyshire stretch their lead towards safety.Critchley was, perhaps, the more eye-catching of the pair. While every other batter in the match has struggled for fluency, he timed the ball sweetly in both innings and looked a high-class player. He was particularly efficient off his legs and punished anything overpitched. He brought up his half-century (73 balls, eight fours) with a rasping cut for four off Hannon-Dalby and finished as Derbyshire’s top-scorer in both innings.Related

• Billy Root outdoes big brother Joe but Adam Lyth spares Yorkshire blushes

• Aaron Thomason mans barricades as Sussex and snow douse Lancashire fire

• Jake Libby's epic red-inker seals Worcestershire's great escape from Fortress Chelmsford

• van Buuren century trumps one from Foakes as Gloucs pounce

Hosein offered steadfast support. Although generally patient – his half-century occupied 103 deliveries – he produced a gorgeous on-drive when Craig Miles overpitched and put away anything on his legs efficiently.Maybe the batters were helped by a change in atmospheric conditions, too. Although the temperature remained uncomfortably cold – indeed, this may well have been the coldest day of the match – the heavy cloud cover of the previous day dispersed for a few hours to produce slightly more benign conditions. They were the only pair to bat through a completed session in the match.While Warwickshire’s seamers beat the bat enough to justify their usage, it might have been worth a look at the spin of Danny Briggs a bit earlier. He wasn’t called upon until the 67th over of the innings by which time Derbyshire were almost 200 ahead.It was something of a surprise when Liam Norwell made the breakthrough. He had generally struggled to rediscover the menace he showed in the first innings but, angling one in, he trapped Critchley leg-before 17 short of a well-deserved century.”It was a great partnership for us,” Billy Godleman, the Derbyshire captain, said. “Critchley played beautifully in the first innings and backed it up today under immense pressure with the game situation. I was really proud of our players today.”The value of the stand was demonstrated as Derbyshire lost their final four wickets for 25 runs. Although Fynn Hudson-Prentice helped Hosein add a further 35 for the seventh wicket, after he was well held by Michael Burgess, standing up to the seam of Will Rhodes, the final three went cheaply. Hosein was left unbeaten on 78, his fourth half-century – two of which have been unbeaten – in his nine most recent first-class innings.That left Warwickshire requiring 213 in a minimum of 41 overs for victory. Maybe, had poor weather not intervened, we might have seen an exciting finish. But five overs into the Warwickshire “chase”, snow started to fall and play was suspended.There was little indication Warwickshire had been tempted to go for their target, anyway. Two of the first four overs were maidens and Dom Sibley was scoreless after 10 deliveries. They head to Trent Bridge later in the week with Olly Stone and, perhaps, Hanuma Vihari expected to come into their side. A decision on Vihari, who is only due out of quarantine on Wednesday, will be made nearer the time, but it could be he replaces Briggs in the XI. Suffice to say, he faces quite a culture shock in terms of weather and pitches.Afterwards, Mark Robinson, the new Warwickshire head coach, admitted to a touch of frustration.”Maybe our seamers could have been a tad more consistent on the final morning,” he said. “And maybe we could have been a bit more ruthless both on the last morning and when we got level with them in the first innings.”It’s a new start for us and I’m still learning about the team. We’re not perfect. But we’ll get better game by game. It’ll be a hell of a team.”But, while this was ultimately a frustrating day, there was a first glimpse – in the first team environment, anyway – of Jacob Bethell. Warwickshire are confident they have uncovered something of a gem in the 17-year-old Barbadian. You suspect his appearance here, albeit as a substitute fielder, will be the first of many.

Leicestershire County Cricket Club has secured a £1 million loan from the city council to improve its facilities in time for next year’s Women’s World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2016Leicestershire County Cricket Club has secured a £1 million loan from the city council to improve its facilities in time for next year’s Women’s World Cup.The loan, which will be repaid in full from Leicestershire’s ECB grant in 2018, will be serviced at a 5% interest rate and secured by a formal legal agreement between the club and the ECB.It follows Leicester City Council’s lifting, in February 2014, of a 50-year-old covenant that had previously restricted development at the club. The club was granted permission, in January, to install permanent floodlights, which they hope will be in place by the start of this season’s NatWest T20 Blast in May.Grace Road was named earlier this month as one of the five venues for the Women’s World Cup, alongside Taunton, Derby, Bristol and Lord’s, which will host the final on July 23.”We have a robust business plan and want to improve the experience of coming to the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road as quickly as we can,” said Wasim Khan, Leicestershire’s chief executive.”Our plans include improving public Wi-Fi, increasing the number of quality food and drink outlets to reduce queuing, and developing our existing stands all around the ground. We also want to restore the Maurice Burrows Balcony to give supporters a great view of the action.”It’s imperative that we drive forward these plans as quickly as possible, as we are hosting major match days in the next two years, including our popular NatWest T20 Blast games and the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017. That event will help inspire a generation of young cricket supporters and will encourage more female cricketers to take up sport in the city of Leicester.Despite ongoing concerns about the level of debt that the club has accumulated in recent seasons, Leicester’s City Mayor, Peter Soulsby, said that he recognised the wide-reaching benefits of investing in sports facilities.”The cricket club has ambitious plans which will help to attract more people to attend matches, and will raise the profile of the club and the city across the country,” Soulsby said. “Having successful sports clubs brings major benefits to the city, as the recent success of Leicester City Football Club has shown. By providing this loan the council can help the cricket club to fast-track its improvements, and we will earn interest on the repayment.”Five per cent interest is more than we would get if we left the money in the bank,” Soulsby told the Leicester Mercury. “We are intensely aware that other well-meaning councils have had their fingers burned when they have made loans to sports clubs. [But] we have done all the due diligence on this and the loan is secured.”

West Indies captain Darren Sammy’s emotional speech at the presentation ceremony after his team won the World T20 final against England at Eden Gardens

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2016I want to thank the almighty, because without him nothing is possible. We have a pastor in the team in Andre Fletcher, he keeps on praying. We are a praying team. I’m really happy for this win and it’s something we are going to cherish for a long time.I’ve said we have 15 match-winners. Nobody gave us a chance but every game somebody stepped up and took responsibility. To see Carlos [Brathwaite] play like that in his debut World Cup, it’s just tremendous. It shows the depth we have in the Caribbean in T20 cricket and hopefully with the right structure and development our cricket will continue to improve in one-day and Test cricket.We started this journey … we all know we had … people were wondering whether we would play this tournament. We had a lot of issues, we felt disrespected by our board, Mark Nicholas described our team as a team with no brains. All these things before the tournament just brought this team together. I really want to thank these 15 men, the ability to just put all those adversities aside and to come out and play this type of cricket in front of such passionate fans, it’s just tremendous.I personally also want to thank the coaching staff, coach Phil, he’s been through a lot, and to come here and the way he’s coached the team, he’s just brilliant. All the other coaching staff, who have done their part. We had a new manager in this tournament in Rawl Lewis, he had never managed any team before. He came here, we were at a camp in Dubai, but we had no uniforms, no printed … he left Dubai, went to Kolkata, that’s where he started. The trouble he went to, to get us in this uniform … I got to give credit to the entire team here, it was us in our own little circle, this win we dedicate it to all our fans in the Caribbean.Lastly I really want to thank the heads of CARICOM, throughout this tournament they have been supporting the team, we’ve got emails, we’ve got phone calls, Prime Minister [Keith] Mitchell [from Grenada]. He sent a very inspiring email for the team this morning … and I’m yet to hear from our own cricket board. That is very disappointing.For today, I’m going to celebrate with these 15 men and coaching staff. I don’t know when I’m going to be playing with these guys again because we don’t get selected for one-day cricket. We don’t know when we’re going to be playing T20. So this win, I want to thank you my team, I want to thank you coaching staff … everybody know West Indies are champion!

MS Dhoni has spoken of how the disappointment of the 2007 World Cup exit, and the angry reception the players received, played an important role in shaping his personality in the public domain and as a cricketer

Aishwarya Kumar in New York16-Sep-20162:34

It felt like we had committed a big crime – Dhoni

MS Dhoni, India’s limited-overs captain, has spoken of how the disappointment of the first-round exit in the 2007 World Cup, and the angry reception the players received upon their return home, played an important role in shaping his personality in the public domain and as a cricketer.”When we landed in Delhi, there was a lot of media. At times, people feel that we are not emotional enough about it, but I always felt, as sports persons, you have to be strong enough to go through everything and it has to be within yourself,” Dhoni said. “It is not about coming for a press conference and crying about stuff, or crying in the field about what has happened.”India had crashed out of the tournament in the Caribbean after losing their group matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and having beaten only Bermuda. Dhoni’s house, which was under construction in Ranchi at the time, was pelted with stones in the aftermath of the exit.”At that point of time, when we landed, we had to get out in a police van. I was sitting next to Viru [Virender Sehwag] . It was evening or night time,” Dhoni said. “We were travelling at a decent speed – 60 or 70 kms – and that’s quite a bit for India, that too on the narrow roads. And, you know, media cars around us with their cameras and the big lights on top, it felt as if we had committed a big crime, maybe like a murderer or terrorist or something. We were actually chased by them.”After a while, we entered a police station. We went there, we sat for a while and then we left in our cars after 15-20 minutes. That actually had a big impact on me and I channelised the aggression to become a better cricketer and a better human being.”Dhoni was speaking in New York, ahead of the release of his biopic – . The press conference at Fox Building in Manhattan was unlike the usual ones Dhoni is used to giving. The number seven jersey and the India cap were replaced by a greyish black suit and a silver tie. The movie, which set to release worldwide on September 30, is about Dhoni’s journey from when he started playing cricket to the 2011 World Cup.A group of Dhoni fans, dressed in their best attire, were huddled outside Fox Building, with big smiles on their faces. They had won a contest and made their way from Chicago and other parts of New York to collect their prize: a meet and greet with Dhoni.The change in atmosphere was evident as Dhoni walked in with his wife Sakshi, and Arun Pandey, the producer of the film.”It is a very simple story and that is the beauty of it,” Dhoni said about the movie. “One thing I told Neeraj [the director] was, this story should not be to glorify me. It is about the journey of a professional sports person and that’s what it should be about.”Talking about how he told his life’s story to Sushant Singh Rajput, the actor playing him, Dhoni said it was challenging to go back in time and reconstruct the story because he hardly spent time dwelling on the past. “More than the physical attributes and the characteristics, Rajput wanted to know what I was thinking at different points of time in life and to explain that was hard and nostalgic,” Dhoni said.”I was a bit worried initially when the whole concept of the movie came in, but once we were in, I was not really worried, the reason being I was just narrating my story. I was just telling Neeraj that this is what happened.”Pandey, the producer of the movie, recounted an anecdote that told him Dhoni’s story was important. It was when he saw Dhoni talk to a child at an airport in India – “the question was less than 15 seconds, but Dhoni gave the kid an eight-minute answer,” he said. Pandey met the child’s parents two years later and learnt how Dhoni’s one interaction had inspired him.Dhoni spoke of how important it was for him to have a steady Railways job after he finished high school to give him the stability to pursue a risky career in cricket. He also talked about how it was important for parents in India to encourage their kids to take up sports seriously. Pushing for sports in the long run – that’s what will bring India medals, he said.”How to keep things simple in life? Often, you hear legends talking about ‘watch the ball, hit the ball,’ and that’s how simple it is,” Dhoni concluded, when asked what had worked for him, as a cricketer and as a person.

England said there are no injury concerns around the quick bowler, and he was fit for selection

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2021James Anderson will miss the first Ashes Test in Brisbane but England insisted that it is not injury related and is part of the management plan to have him primed for the day-night Test in Adelaide next week.It was always unlikely that Anderson, the third-highest Test wicket-taker, would play all five Tests in a tight schedule and he himself has previously said three of the matches might be realistic.Anderson missed the majority of the 2019 Ashes with a calf injury he sustained in the opening Test at Edgbaston which left England a bowler short in a match they went onto lose and there were questions raised as to whether he would be able to return.But since then he has taken 57 wickets in 17 Tests and played in all of the matches against New Zealand and India in the last home summer.Anderson does not have a good record at the Gabba with seven wickets at 75.14 from four matches. In Adelaide he has taken 16 wickets at 29.50.”Jimmy is fit to play, and is not carrying an injury,” an ECB statement said. “With five Tests in six weeks the plan was to get him ready for the second Test in Adelaide.”With the limited build-up we have had so far on the tour, both him and the management didn’t want to take the risk of him playing after what had happened in 2019 at Edgbaston, when he broke down on the first morning.”He bowled at full capacity yesterday for just short of an hour and was in a good place physically. He will do the same again today at practice.”He will stay with the Test group this week and work with the coaches at the Gabba rather than playing for the Lions.”There remains a chance that England will go into the opening Test without Anderson and Stuart Broad with the latter having missed a large part of the home season with a calf injury. The disrupted preparations caused by poor weather in Queensland have hampered the fast bowlers’ lead-in.Buttler on Anderson: “We want a guy like that to be available for as much of it as possible, so think it’s a bit precautionary”•AFP

“Just with the build-up everyone has had, the guys just want to make sure everyone is perfect to go,” Jos Buttler said. “Jimmy’s not going to play but he is fit. Obviously it’s a very long series and we want a guy like that to be available for as much of it as possible, so think it’s a bit precautionary. He bowled well yesterday and will bowl again today.”Broad’s participation could rest on whether England play a specialist spinner in Jack Leach. With Ben Stokes back it gives them the chance to field a balanced attack although there remains some uncertainty about the amount Stokes will be able to bowl having not played competitively since July.”We always know that when he gets into that game he’ll want to leave his mark on it,” captain Joe Root said of Stokes. “Yes, there’ll be an element of managing expectations and you’ve got to trust his experience and our whole bowling group collectively that we can work together to take those wickets. I’m sure Ben will have a big say in that. It’s something we’ll definitely be trying to get right throughout the whole series.”Of the potential quicks, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood have yet to play Test cricket in Australia while Chris Woakes averages 49.50 from four matches but Buttler was bullish in the capacity to take 20 wickets.”We are confident, that’s why the guys are here,” he said. “There’s some fantastic performers. Obviously Broad and Anderson have been brilliant performers for a long period of time and will play a huge part in the series. Whichever XI we take the field with we’ll be very confident.”England’s 12 for the Gabba Test: Joe Root (capt), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Australia will pip India to the post – and set up a final against New Zealand – if England win the fourth Test

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2021The ten-wicket win, well inside two days, in the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad has not only given India an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-Test series, it’s given them a clear shot at qualifying for the inaugural World Test Championship final, to be played at Lord’s from June 18. The result in the third Test also means that it’s now a two-horse race to meet New Zealand in the final – Australia vs India – with England’s hopes lying in tatters.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The target for both India and England, before the series, was to top Australia’s points percentage of 69.17. England, having slipped to 64.1 after the latest reversal, cannot get there, but India can, unless England spoil their party in the final exchange.What India need to do to reach the finalAs things stand, India are actually ahead of New Zealand on points percentage. India have 71.0 (490 overall) compared to New Zealand’s 70.0 (420). In terms of the WTC final, India’s target, even before the series had started, was to earn 70 points – having come into the third Test with 30 points for a win and a loss, they needed to win the series 2-1 or 3-1.They are now at 2-1, but…What if India lose the final Test?There, that’s the only way they can’t make the WTC final, which means that though they are out of the hunt themselves, Joe Root’s boys can be killjoys for Virat Kohli’s team, and make Tim Paine and Co very happy. A 2-1 (with a draw in the final Test) or 3-1 scoreline does the job for India, while 2-2, the only other possibility, isn’t good enough for them.What about the possibility of points being docked…?Related

• Pitch debate: Kohli says 'very good', Cook and Strauss disagree

• Joe Root: 'A week like this doesn't define us as a team'

• As it happened – India vs England, 3rd Test, Ahmedabad, 2nd day

• Axar Patel 11-for sees India surge to 2-1 series lead in two-day Test

A 3-1 series win will be perfect for India, and they don’t have to worry about being docked points for slow over-rates or anything else. Australia might have avoided a lot of the uncertainty had they not dropped four points because of a slow over-rate against India in the Boxing Day Test. Had that not happened, Australia would have been level with New Zealand on 70, which would then have brought the runs-per-wicket ratio into play (that is the ratio of the runs scored per wicket lost, and the runs conceded per wicket taken). Australia’s ratio is currently 1.39 while New Zealand’s is 1.28.This means Australia would have stayed ahead of New Zealand, and would have been certain of qualification. Now, they will need England to help them out, if they can.Importantly for India, the WTC rules state that even if the Ahmedabad stadium gets an unfavourable rating from the ICC – the Test got over in under two days, with spinners running amok – the team, India, will not be affected.

Changes afoot for both teams after drawn encounter at Lord’s

Andrew Miller09-Jun-2021

Big picture

Shall we talk about the cricket for a bit, then? Let’s park the timeline mining and the urge to be outraged by every less-than-savoury comment ever committed to the Twittersphere, and focus on the reason why such remarks from England’s senior sports stars are held to a higher standard than the rest of the poisonous soup that swills around that fetid site.England’s cricketers are public figures – a fact that might have been easy to overlook in the past 12 months of bio-secure bubbling, but at Edgbaston this week, they can expect to feel once again the full roar (or at least, a 70% roar) of the Hollies Stand, as the sport continues its tiptoe back to normality with cricket’s largest crowd since the T20 Blast final in September 2019, when Edgbaston was once again the host with the most.This year in the UK, only Leicester City’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea last month has been witnessed by more spectators than the 17,000 a day that will be permitted in Birmingham, and the euphoria of that occasion was palpable, even while the gaps in the stands remained gaping. All things being equal, this Test promises to be a celebration of cricket’s resilience and rebirth. But as we have been reminded over the course of the last few days, all things are far from equal right now.Nevertheless, the occasion could also be a celebration of a different ilk for the indomitable James Anderson, who now seems to be ticking off a milestone a match as he revels in the “sexy phase” of his career, the phrase recently coined by Peter Moores to describe Stuart Broad’s similarly zen-like confidence in his methods and mien.Joe Root has had much to ponder ahead of the second Test•Getty Images

Given the eight-week gap until the first Test against India, there seems little reason to defer Anderson’s record-breaking 162nd Test appearance on the grounds of workload management, although it was also England’s stated aim before the series to use these games, which fall outside the World Test Championship remit, to expand their pool of potential Ashes performers. Either way, he’ll get there soon enough, and will do so with a seasoned assurance far removed from the raw rookie who tore in on debut at Lord’s 18 years ago, even as his internal monologue was insisting he “wasn’t good enough”.New Zealand, too, are embracing the rest-and-rotation vibe. Some of their changes are enforced – most troublingly, the absence of their captain, the world’s No.1-ranked batter, Kane Williamson due to a long-standing elbow injury – but the rest are anticipated with the bigger picture in mind.For all that Tom Latham, their stand-in skipper, recognises that victory in England would be a memorable achievement in its own right, the three-day gap to the World Test Championship final against India requires a pragmatic approach, particularly to their fast-bowling resources. After six years as one of the premier teams in world cricket, encompassing the heartache of two World Cup finals, this is a glorious opportunity to obtain a tangible reward for their ceaselessly high standards.Related

• Edgbaston Test: Spectators to be allowed at up to 70% capacity

• Trent Boult in line to play second Test after relaxed quarantine in UK

• James Anderson thought he 'wasn't good enough' on debut, as he closes in on England caps record

• Kane Williamson out of second Test; Tom Latham to captain New Zealand

To that end, the first Test could hardly have gone better as a warm-up act. Devon Conway set New Zealand’s agenda with an obscenely assured debut, while there were sturdy workouts for three of the quicks who will spearhead their challenge for silverware, most notably Tim Southee with his third appearance on the Lord’s honours board (after two in the same match in 2013).They would doubtless have liked to cap their dominance with a victory, but England chose not to engage with a teasingly weighted declaration on the final afternoon. It looked, to the uninitiated, like an opportunity squandered, but was more likely an accident waiting to happen – especially for a callow batting line-up that served up four ducks in their flaccid first innings.”I still feel we made the right decision,” Joe Root said on the eve of the second Test, after reflecting on the criticism his side had received for their go-slow approach. “We turn up here, and we’ve got a chance to win the series.”If that is to happen, however, improvements are a must for England, who at least showed a greater willingness to hunker down in their dour second innings, thanks to Dom Sibley, who shut up shop for another of his puritanically grim half-centuries. But first time out, Dan Lawrence and Zak Crawley both fell to the sort of impetuous drives that will have Jasprit Bumrah and Co. licking their lips (let alone Josh Hazlewood and friends) while James Bracey’s six-ball duck and cartwheeling off stump made for an uncompromisingly tough baptism.On a practical level, too, England have been weakened by the absence of their best bowler from that first Test. Ollie Robinson’s misdemeanours require attention, but with seven wickets in the match, and 42 vital first-innings runs to stave off a complete meltdown, his on-field contributions will not be forgotten, even if his off-field actions continue to dominate England’s narrative.

Form guide

England: DLLLW
New Zealand: DWWWW

In the spotlight

Rory Burns is one of the very few England cricketers who is enjoying life more in the current climate than he was at the start of the year. After losing his place (and his sense of humour) during the tour of India, Burns then had to navigate his way out of a more contemporary Twitter rumpus, following his ill-judged response to a tongue-in-cheek comment from the ex-England women’s player, Alex Hartley. In between whiles, however, he put his head down for Surrey to grind out seven fifty-plus scores in nine innings, and has now regained the right to be considered England’s premier opening batsman. His third Test century was a nuggetty masterpiece – last man out for 132 out of 275, a performance that glued the innings together when it briefly seemed a 200-plus deficit was on the cards. He has happy memories of Edgbaston too, with a maiden hundred on his last visit in the 2019 Ashes.Tom Latham has some massive shoes to fill as Kane Williamson’s captaincy stand-in, but at the age of 29, and with nearly 4000 runs at a very healthy average of 41.97, there’s no time like the present for New Zealand’s vice-captain to step up to the higher role. Latham’s unassuming methods mask a steely temperament, although he hasn’t quite returned to the heights he reached in 2018-19, when he racked up five hundreds in eight Tests including a career-best 264 not out against Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the last of those hundreds was against England at Hamilton, meaning that each of New Zealand’s openers has reached three figures in their last two encounters with Root’s men. If Conway can pick up where he left off with his debut double-century at Lord’s, the new skipper will have all the more space to grow into his new responsibilities.

Team news

Robinson’s suspension means that Craig Overton is in line for his first Test cap since the 2019 Ashes, in that No.8 bowling allrounder role that has become rather crucial to England’s balance in the absence of Ben Stokes (not to mention Edgbaston’s own Chris Woakes – remember him?). But another Birmingham local, Olly Stone, could be given the opportunity to impress, potentially as a like-for-like replacement for Mark Wood, whose workload England are keen to manage. Jack Leach is likely to return as a spin option, not least given the weather forecast, which means either Broad or Anderson could miss out. Bracey caused England something of a scare on Tuesday evening when he required lengthy treatment on a finger injury, sustained during wicketkeeping drills, but he’s set to continue behind the stumps.England (possible): 1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ollie Pope, 6 Dan Lawrence, 7 James Bracey (wk), 8 Craig Overton, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonThere’s a fair amount of upheaval in New Zealand’s ranks, partially by design but largely through injury. Williamson will rest his problematic elbow ahead of next week’s main event against India – he has been managing the injury since March, after missing the Bangladesh ODIs and the early part of the IPL. Will Young, who made a century in his most recent match, for Durham in the County Championship last month, will slot in at No. 3. Mitchell Santner has also been ruled out after struggling at Lord’s due to a cut on his left index finger, which may prompt a call-up for either Ajaz Patel or Rachin Ravindra, the other two left-arm spinners in New Zealand’s ranks. In better news for New Zealand, Trent Boult is back in the squad following his quarantine period, and could come straight into contention, along with Matt Henry, with Gary Stead, the head coach, indicating that they will rotate their options ahead of the WTC final.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Will Young, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Matt Henry, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Ajaz Patel / Rachin Ravindra, 11 Trent Boult.Trent Boult is set to play in the second Test•Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

It’s taken a while to splutter into life, but the English summer is now properly upon us, with temperatures in the mid-20s forecast all week. The Edgbaston pitch is habitually a sound one, and Chris Silverwood, England’s head coach, has requested a typically true deck with good carry for the seamers. There hasn’t been a whole lot of spin in evidence at the venue this summer – even that notorious fourth-innings assassin Simon Harmer was thwarted when Warwickshire saw off the champions Essex earlier in the season – but the high temperatures may help the pitch to dry and turn on days four and five.

Stats and trivia

• If selected for his 162nd Test appearance, James Anderson will break Alastair Cook’s record for England Test caps. He needs another six wickets to reach 1,000 in his first-class career.
• Tom Latham needs 12 runs to reach 4000 in Tests for New Zealand, a mark that only eight New Zealanders have previously reached. His next Test innings, coincidentally, will be his 100th, in his 58th match.
• New Zealand have lost on each of their previous four Test visits to Edgbaston, most recently in 1999, a match made famous by Alex Tudor’s 99 not out as England’s nightwatchman.
• Kane Williamson will have to wait at least until the WTC final to score the 44 runs he needs to overtake Stephen Fleming’s aggregate of 7172 in Tests, and become New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer of all time, behind Ross Taylor.

Quotes

“It’s well documented that Kane’s personality and calm nature is vital to this group. He’s very relaxed, he doesn’t get too high or too low, he’s a wonderful leader, which we’ve seen throughout his captaincy career, but especially in the last couple of years, and he certainly will be missed.”
“I see it as an opportunity for them to go out and score Test-match runs for their country, and I hope they see it like that. They have a responsibility to go and play the situation to the best of their ability and try and eradicate any other thoughts.”

South Africa batsman Hashim Amla has called for ‘common sense to prevail’ in regard to allegations of ball tampering against Faf du Plessis

Firdose Moonda in Melbourne18-Nov-20164:27

‘Our captain did nothing wrong’ – Amla

South Africa consider the ball-tampering allegations against Faf du Plessis to be “ridiculous,” and “a joke,” and believe their stand-in captain has done “absolutely nothing wrong.” That was the message from the team’s senior-most batsman Hashim Amla, who addressed the media at the MCG on Friday afternoon, accompanied by the entire South African squad and support staff, who were present to “show solidarity”.Du Plessis was among the group but stood in the background and was not put up to answer any questions. Instead Amla, the designated player for Friday’s media opportunity, began in the unusual fashion of delivering a mini-speech to open proceedings.”Good afternoon everybody. As you can see we have the full team here behind us,” Amla said. “The reason everybody is here is to stand together and to show solidarity to what has been something we actually thought was a joke. It’s not April. But the allegations against Faf were really, for us, a ridiculous thing and as a team we are standing strong. For us it is basically a joke. The boys are here, standing strong.”At the time, Amla was not aware that the ICC was reviewing footage of du Plessis shining the ball after licking his fingers when there appeared to be a sweet in his mouth. “Is it?,” Amla asked when told about the governing body’s investigation. “Whether it is or not, we’ve done nothing wrong and Faf has done absolutely nothing wrong.”Part of South Africa’s defence is that players often have something in their mouths on the field, Amla included. “I chew bubblegum while I am fielding. Do you want me to brush my teeth after lunch every time I come out?” he said. “You’ve got to be logical about this, common sense surely should prevail. If I’ve got something in my mouth, guys are handing out red froggies at lunch time to give the kids, keep them hydrated, energise them and we are in the field for two hours. We eat nuts, biltong, that sort of thing. There was no malicious intent.”Amla said he was unaware that sugary sweets have been used to shine one side of the ball in order to get reverse swing, as Marcus Trescothick wrote in his autobiography. “Is that a tactic?” Amla asked. “Is it proven or what? That’s something that’s new to us. I’ve had sweets in my mouth, bubblegum in my mouth, biltong, nuts, I’m not sure what the big deal is. Are you sure it (an advantage) can be gained? We don’t know. I can only speak for what my captain has done.”Amla went as far as to say the reaction to the footage could be an attempted to discredit South Africa’s dominance in the series. “To me and to a lot of people, it is sounding like sour sweets for people in their heads that we’ve played really good cricket and the timing of it is that it’s a bit weird too,” he said.The visuals emerged the day after the Hobart Test, which South Africa won by an innings and 80 runs to take the series 2-0. Du Plessis had not been reported by the match officials and the ICC were only alerted to the alleged tampering through media reports and then chose to review it of their own volition.Amla maintained that the entire South African camp were convinced of du Plessis’ innocence. “I am just trying to clear what we think is an absolutely wrongful allegation made on our captain. We are standing in solidarity to our captain who has done absolutely nothing wrong. It’s pretty clear what we are trying to do you here. As I said, we’ve done nothing wrong. If there was any doubt whatsoever, you wouldn’t have the full team here. We’ve just basically done nothing wrong.”Less than two hours after Amla spoke, du Plessis was formally charged and pleaded not guilty. South Africa are awaiting legal counsel before a date for the hearing can be decided so it is uncertain whether it will take place before the Adelaide Test next Thursday. If found guilty, du Plessis could face a suspension of one Test.

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2016

Sold players

Kevin Pietersen (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 3.5 croresDwayne Smith (Base price INR 50 lakhs) – sold to Gujarat Lions INR 2.3 croresIshant Sharma (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 3.8 croresShane Watson (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 9.5 croresAshish Nehra (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 5.5 croresYuvraj Singh (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 7 croresDale Steyn (Base price INR 1.5 crores) – sold to Gujarat Lions INR 2.3 croresSanju Samson (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Delhi Daredevils INR 4.2 croresJos Buttler (Base price INR 1.5 crores) – sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 3.8 croresDinesh Karthik (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 2.3 croresIrfan Pathan (Base price INR 1 crore) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 1 croreChris Morris (Base price INR 50 lakhs) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 7 croresColin Munro (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 30 lakhsStuart Binny (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 2 croresMitchell Marsh (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 4.8 croresDhawal Kulkarni (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 2 croresJohn Hastings (Base price INR 1 crores) – sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.3 croresPraveen Kumar (Base price INR 50 lakhs) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 3.5 croresTim Southee (Base price INR 1 crore) – sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 2.5 croresMohit Sharma (Base price INR 1.5 crores) – sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 6.5 croreCarlos Brathwaite (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 4.2 croresMarcus Stoinis (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 55 lakhsMustafizur Rahman (Base price INR 50 lakhs) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 1.4 croresJaydev Unadkat (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.6 croresKyle Abbott (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 2.1 croresBarinder Sran (Base price INR 50 lakh) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 1.2 croresAbhimanyu Mithun (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 30 lakhsRP Singh (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 30 lakhsTravis Head (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 50 lakhsSachin Baby (Base price INt 10 lakh) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 10 LakhKarun Nair (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 4 crore Paras Dogra (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 10 lakhIshan Kishan (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 35 lakhRishabh Pant (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 1.9 croreEklavya Dwivedi (Base price INR 20 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 1 croreAditya Tare (Base price INR 20 lakh) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 1.2 croreIqbal Abdulla (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 10 lakhDeepak Hooda (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 4.2 croreAnkit Sharma (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 10 lakhPawan Negi (base price INR 30 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 8.5 croreRajat Bhatia (base price INR 30 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants INR 60 lakhPradeep Sangwan (Base price INR 20 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 20 lakhNathu Singh (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 3.2 croresIshwar Pandey (Base price INR 20 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 20 lakhAnkit Rajpoot (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.5 crorePravin Tambe (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 20 lakhShivil Kaushik (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 10 lakhSarabjit Ladda (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 10 lakhM Ashwin (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 4.5 croreKC Cariappa (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 80 lakhAaron Finch (Base price INR 1 crore) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 1 crore (second round)Sam Billings (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 30 lakh (second round)T Suman (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 10 lakh (second round)Ankush Bains (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 10 lakh (second round)Umang Sharma (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 10 lakh (second round)Peter Handscomb – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 30 lakh (second round)Jitesh Sharma (Base price INR 10 lakh) sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 lakh (second round)Armaan Jaffer (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 10 lakh (second round)Jason Holder (Base price INR 50 lakhs) sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 70 lakh (second round)Thisara Perera (Base price INR 1 crore) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 1 crore (second round)Ben Cutting (Base price INR 50 lakhs) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 50 lakh (second round)Andrew Tye (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 50 lakh (second round)Praveen Dubey (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore at INR 35 lakh (second round)R Sathish (base price INR 20 lakh) – sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 20 lakhVijay Shankar (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 35 lakhShadab Jakati (base price INR 20 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 20 lakhAkshay Karnewar (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 10 lakhAkshdeep Nath (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 10 lakhManan Sharma (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Kolkata Knight Riders at INR 10 lakhBaba Aparajith (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 10 lakhDeepak Chahar (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supegiants for INR 10 lakhKishore Kamath (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 1.4 croresPardeep Sahu (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 10 lakhKrunal Pandya (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 2 croresDeepak Punia (base price INR lakh) – sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 lakhSwapnil Singh (base price 10 lakh) – sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 10 lakhKhaleel Ahmed (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 10 lakhJaydev Shah (base price INR 20 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 20 lakhPratyush Singh (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 10 lakhAshok Dinda (Base price INR 50 lakhs) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 50 lakhKane Richardson (Base price INR 2 crores) – sold to Royal Challengers Banglore for INR 2 croreSamuel Badree (Base price INR 50 lakhs) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 50 lakhJoel Paris (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 30 lakhScott Boland (Base price INR 50 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 50 lakhVikramjeet Malik (Base price INR 20 lakh) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 20 lakhPawan Suyal (Base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 10 lakhAdam Zampa (Base price INR 30 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Super Giants for INR 30 lakhAmit Mishra (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Gujarat Lions for INR 10 lakhJaskaran Singh (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Rising Pune Supergiants for INR 10 lakhChama Milind (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 10 lakhVikas Tokas (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore at INR 10 lakhFarhaan Behardien (Base price INR 30 lakhs) – sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 30 lakh (round three)Akhil Herwadkar (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 10 lakhMahipal Lomror (base price INR 10 lakh) – sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 10 lakh

Martin Guptill (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Rilee Rossouw (Base price INR 1 crore)Cheteshwar Pujara (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Hashim Amla (Base price INR 1 crore)George Bailey (Base price INR 1 crore)S Badrinath (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Mahela Jayawardene (Base price INR 1.5 crores)Michael Hussey (Base price INR 2 crores)Usman Khawaja (Base price INR 1 crore)Shane Dowrich (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Mushfiqur Rahim (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Johnson Charles (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Brad Haddin (Base price INR 1.5 crores)Morne van Wyk (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Ben Dunk (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Cameron Bancroft (Base price INR 10 lakhs)Manoj Tiwary (Base price INR 1 crore)Ravi Bopara (Base price INR 1 crore)Tillakaratne Dilshan (Base price INR 1.5 crores)Darren Sammy (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Sachithra Senanayake (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Veerasammy Permaul (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Nathan Lyon (Base price INR 1 crore)Devendra Bishoo (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Michael Beer (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Ajantha Mendis (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Sulieman Benn (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Rahul Sharma (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Cameron Boyce (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Pragyan Ojha (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Joe Burns (Base price INR 1 crore)David Hussey (Base price INR 1 crore)Darren Bravo (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Adam Voges (Base price INR 1 crore)Nic Maddinson (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Owais Shah (Base price INR 1 crore)Abhinav Mukund (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Doug Bracewell (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Chris Jordan (Base price INR 1 crore)Wayne Parnell (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Grant Elliott (Base price INR 30 lakhs)James Neesham (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Sean Abbott (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Abhishek Nayar (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Munaf Patel (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Beuran Hendricks (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Lahiru Thirimanne (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Richard Levi (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Cameron White (Base price INR 1.5 crores)Tamim Iqbal (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Marlon Samuels (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Dean Elgar (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Reeza Hendricks (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Nathan McCullum (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Jeevan Mendis (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Vernon Philander (Base price INR 50 lakhs)Rusty Theron (Base price INR 30 lakhs)Shehan Jayasuriya (Base price INR 30 lakh)Rayad Emrit (Base price INR 30 lakh)Anton Devcich (Base price INR 30 lakh)Johan Botha (Base price INR 50 lakh)Ashton Agar (Base price INR 50 lakh)Robin Peterson (Base price INR 50 lakh)Fidel Edwards (Base price INR 50 lakh)Jerome Taylor (Base price INR 50 lakh)Parvinder Awana (Base price INR 30 lakh)Sudeep Tyagi (Base price INR 30 lakh)Shaun Tait (Base price INR 1.5 crores)Pankaj Singh (Base price INR 30 lakh)Nuwan Kulasekara (Base price INR 50 lakh)Ben Laughlin (Base price INR 30 lakh)Krishmar Santokie (Base price INR 30 lakh)Isuru Udana (Base price INR 30 lakh)Soumya Sarkar (Base price INR 30 lakh)Dilruwan Perera (Base price INR 50 lakh)Narsingh Deonarine (Base price INR 30 lakh)Henry Davids (Base price INR 50 lakh)Milinda Siriwardana (Base price INR 30 lakh)Dilshan Munaweera (Base price INR 30 lakh)Christopher Barnwell (Base price INR 30 lakh)Seekuge Prasanna (Base price INR 30 lakh)George Worker (Base price INR 30 lakh)Dasun Shanaka (Base price INR 30 lakh)Taskin Ahmed (Base price INR 30 lakh)Shannon Gabriel (Base price INR 50 lakh)Dushmantha Chameera (Base price INR 30 lakh)Hardus Viljoen (Base price INR 30 lakh)Mthokozisi Shezi (Base price INR 1 crore)Tino Best (Base price INR 30 lakh)Jackson Bird (Base price INR 50 lakh)Mithun Manhas (Base price INR 30 lakh)Ankit Bawne (Base price INR 10 lakh)Himanshu Rana (Base price INR 10 lakh)Debabrata Das (Base price INR 10 lakh)Aiden Blizzard (Base price INR 30 lakh)Pinal Shah (Base price INR 10 lakh)CM Gautam (Base price INR 20 lakh)Dishank Yagnik (Base price INR 10 lakh)Manvinder Bisla (Base price INR 10 lakh)Padmanabhan Prasanth (Base price INR 10 lakh)Kevin O’Brien (Base price INR 30 lakh)Kevon Cooper (Base price INR 30 lakh)C Stephen (Base price INR 10 lakh)Domnic Muthuswami (Base price INR 10 lakh)Veer Pratap Singh (Base price INR 10 lakh)Harmeet Singh (Base price INR 10 lakh)Aswin Crist (Base price INR 10 lakh)Rahul Shukla (Base price INR 10 lakh)Siddharth Trivedi (Base price INR 10 lakh)KK Jiyas (Base price INR 10 lakh)Hardik Patel (Base price INR 10 lakh)Rahil Shah (Base price INR 10 lakh)Bharghav Bhatt (Base price INR 10 lakh)Karanveer Singh (Base price INR 10 lakh)Arun Karthik (Base price INR 10 lakh)Evin Lewis (Base price INR 20 lakh)Alex Ross (Base price INR 20 lakh)Apoorv Wankhade (Base price INR 10 lakh)Prashant Gupta (Base price INR 10 lakh)Rahul Tewatia (Base price INR 10 lakh)Rohan Prem (base price INR 10 lakh)Dinesh Salunkhe (base price INR 10 lakh)Ravi Jangid (base price INR 10 lakh)Gurinder Singh (base price INR 10 lakh)James Pattinson (Base price INR 1.5 crores)Pankaj Jaswal (base price INR 10 lakh)Navdeep Saini (base price INR 10 lakh)Saurabh Kumar (base price INR 10 lakhRishi Arothe (INR 10 lakh)Baltej Singh (base price INr 10 lakh)Kshitiz Sharma (base price INR 10 lakh)